RTI bonds DDS with government researchers, on the cheap

Product

May 24, 2011

The publish-subscribe Data Distribution Service (DDS) continues inroads into DoD distributed networks because of easy data and message passing between nodes.

The publish-subscribe Data Distribution Service (DDS) continues inroads into DoD distributed networks because of easy data and message passing between nodes. But the DDS concept isn’t easy to understand, nor is it “cheap” for the typical shoestring budgets of government labs, SBIR winners, or universities. Real-Time Innovations (RTI) is changing that through the company’s DDS Technology Network, a comprehensive training, tools, and software website designed to help researchers get up to speed quickly and inexpensively.

First off: Per-member prices range from $2,500 to $4,000, based upon the organization’s size. For this price, members get a payload full of valuable stuff starting with a no-charge license to RTI’s DDS software. Also included are tools, runtime services from the company’s Professional and Elite toolkits, and a pile of source code. But perhaps most valuable in this program are the mentoring and training materials, ranging from access to DDS experts (“humans”!) in data-centric design, to distributed system security and safety, as well as tools for applications in control systems and unmanned vehicles. Other training includes workshops, phone and email support, community forums, and discounts for on-site training. According to RTI, more than 200 organizations have joined research programs complemented by the DDS Technology Network. Some “qualifying programs” receive no-cost DDS licenses for Windows and Linux environments.